Production of magazines, pamphlets and the like



PRODUCTION OF MAGAZINES, PAMPHLETS AND THE LIKE Filed May 26, 1960 R. F. CORDEY Oct. 27, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet l Oct. 27, 1964 R. F. coRDEY 3,153,964

PRODUCTION OF MAGAZINES, PAMPHLETS AND THE LIKE Y R. F. CORDEY Oct. 27, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed May 26. 1960 Oct. 27, 1964 R. F. coRDEY 3,153,954

PRonucTloNoF MAGAZINES, PAMPHLETS AND THE LIKE Filed May 2e, 1960 4 sheets-Sheet 4 United States Patent 3,153,964 PRDU'CTIN GF MAGZDIES, PMPHLETS AND THE LIKE Roger Frederick Cordey, Bexley, England, assigner to Sun i rinters Limited, Watford, Engiand, a British company Filed May 26, 1960, Ser. No. 31,912 3 Claims. (Cl. 83-497) This invention is concerned with the production of magazines, pamphlets and the like (hereinafter described for convenience as books) of the kind comprising a printed and folded sheet or sheets whose component pairs of leaves are secured together by wirestitching at their central fold-lines.

in the quantity production of such books, it is usual for a stream of them to be delivered from the printing machine with their stitched folds (or back edges) foremost, and only requiring trimming at the head, tail and fore-edge of each.

Hithereto, it has been the practice for the books to be collected in stacks of suitable thickness and trimmed collectively under a guillotine, but this a relatively slow method and one which cannot complete with the output of a modern printing machine unless a number of guillotines and a correspondingly large labour force is employed.

The object of the present invention is to provide irnproved apparatus whereby a stream of books may be trimmed continuously with speed and accuracy.

According to this invention the improved trimming apparatus comprises an endless conveyor upon which the books are deposited in echelon and uniformly by the printing machine, travelling means whereby the echeloned stream is progressively gripped,.in such manner as to expel air from between the leaves of the books, after mechanical alignment of their corresponding edges in a direction lengthwise of the conveyor, a cutter or cutters for continuously trimming the aligned and/or opposite edges of the books acted upon by said gripping means, a second conveyor disposed at right angles to, but below, the first conveyor and running at such speed that the books are deposited thereon with the same degree of mutual overlap as before the trimming operation, further travelling means for progressively gripping the diverted stream of books after mechanical alignment of their uncut edges in a direction lengthwise of the second conveyor, and a further cutter or cutters for continuously trimming the newly-aligned and/or opposite edges of the books whilst gripped as aforesaid.

The gripping means in each case may comprise an endless band or bands opposed to, and running at the same linear speed as, the associated conveyor, the books supported upon the latter being engaged by the adjacent run of the (or each) gripping band whose spacing from said conveyor is adjustable to suit the thickness of such books and the extent to which they overlap one another. Any or each of the successive trimming operations may exert an upward pressure against the book or books momentarily engaged thereby.

The apparatus may also include a counter mechanism designed automatically to displace one of the issuing stream of trimmed books after a predetermined number of the latter have passed a scanning point and thereby to facilitate collection of the books into standardized bundles for packaging.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIGS. 1A and 1B are schematic plan views of complementary parts of one example of the improved trimming apparatus the break being indicated by chain lines,

FIG. 2 is a schematic side elevation, to an enlarged scale, of one of the top-pressure devices indicated in FIGS. lA and 1B,

ice

FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view corresponding to FIG. 2, and

FIGS. 4 and 5 are fragmentary plan and side views respectively of one of the rotary knives.

In the example illustrated of a continuous trimming apparatus according to the present invention, the input conveyor 10 is arranged somewhat below the delivery conveyor (not shown) of the printing machine and driven at such a speed that each book deposited thereon will be more or less overlapped by the one following.

The input conveyor 10 thus carries forward a stream of books 11 lying in echelon, their degree of mutual overlap being adjustable by varying the linear speed of such conveyor relatively to that of the printing machine conveyor.

It is a matter of convenience whether the books 11 reach the conveyor 10 with their stitched folds (or back edges) 12 disposed longitudinally or transversely of the latter, but in the example under consideration the former arrangement is adopted, the books being delivered from the printing machine with their back edges 12 leading and the upper run of the conveyor 10 travelling at right angles to the stream of books 11.

To obviate risk of the latter being marked thereby the conveyor surface comprises a band of juxtaposed stainless-steel slats 15 mounted transversely of a series of endless chains 16 running over sprockets 17, the ends of such slats remote from the printing machine conveyor being upturned as at 18.

For ease of illustration the upper run of the conveyor 10 is shown travelling in a horizontal plane, but in fact such conveyor circulates in a plane canted at (say) 171/2 degrees to the vertical, the upturned portions 18 of the slats 15 being at their lower ends and thus forming a continuous stop for the arriving books 11 so that the latter travel forward with their back edges 12 in alignment.

The newly-folded and stitched sheets constituting the books l1 will, of course, have their constituent leaves in somewhat divergent relation at this stage, and before the first trimming operation, it is desirable to express the air from between such leaves.

This is conveniently effected by means of three endless top-pressure Slat-bands 19 respectively co-operating with three relatively narrow Slat-band conveyors 20 which run side-by-side with their upper runs in the same laterally-canted planes as the corresponding run of the input conveyor 10 and travelling at the same speed. The bands 19 are likewise circulated at the same linear speed as the three-part conveyor 20, but in the opposite sense.

The multiple sprocket 17 at one end of the conveyor 10, and the mutually-coaxial sprockets 21 at one end of the three-part conveyor 20, are driven through bevel gears 22, 23 from a side shaft 24 which is itself chaindriven at 25 from a motor 26.

Further bevel gears 27, a chain-drive 28, and spur gearing 29 connect this shaft 24 to an elevated crossshaft 30 carried by radius arms 31 from the sides of a bridge-structure 32 spanning the three-part conveyor 20.

This shaft 30 carries the driving sprockets 33 for the top-pressure bands 19 and also has pivoted thereon two carrier plates 34 rigidly connected by a cross-bar 35 which co-operates with the sprocket shaft 30 to support two intermediate laterally-slidable carriers 36. Each of these latter, and one of the main carriers 34, serves to maintain a pair of idle sprockets 37 in alignment with the adjacent driving sprocket 33.

Mounted centrally of the crown of the bridge-structure 32 is a vertical adjusting screw 38 connected to the adjacent arms of two rocking levers 39 pivoted upon the same structure and having their other arms respec- 3 tively linked at 40, 41 to the radius arms 31 and the swinging assembly represented by the carriers 34, 36.

By operation of the screw 38 the top-pressure bauds 19 can be collectively raised and lowered whilst their lower runs maintain, parallel relation with the associated parts of the conveyor 20.

The idle sprockets 37 are so arranged that the lower runs of the three bands 19 are of graduated lengths, the longest of such bands being that which co-operates with the low side of the three-part conveyor 20, so that, when the echeloned books 11 pass on to the latter over a series of small idle rollers 42, the bands 19 act thereon in succession so as progressively to express the air from between the constituent leaves of such books in a direction towards their fore-edges 13.

Whenever 'the leading edge of a book 11 reaches a position directly below the sprocket shaft 36, by which time it can be considered squeezed free of all trapped air, the fore-edge 13 of such book commences to be sheared off, at a predetermined distance from its back edge 12, by means of a rotary knife 43 driven by a separate motor 44.

United to each of the outer sprockets 33 is a pulley 45 connected by an endless belt 46 to an idle pulley 47 on an arm 48 mounted to swing about the axis of the shaft 30 at the side of the latter remote from the Slat-bands 19. Pivoted concentrically with each idle pulley 47 is a shorter arm 49 carrying a bogie 50 with three rollers 51 which serve to load the lower run of the adjacent belt 46.

The two belts 46 operate to position each successive book 11 during the trimming of its fore-edge 13 and finally ensure its movement beyond the three-part conveyor on to a series of idle rollers 52 from which the books fall one at a time on to a transversely arranged slat-band conveyor running at a higher speed and forming the input means of a second system substantially corresponding to that just described.

The second input conveyor 116 is laterally canted in the same way as the previous conveyor system its lower edge, with upturned slat ends corresponding to the ends 18, being disposed beneath the rollers 52 aforesaid.

One multiple sprocket 117 of the conveyor 116 is bevelgeared at 122 from a side shaft 124 which in turn is driven through bevel gearing53 Vand acardan shaft 54 from the motor 26.

A three-part conveyor 120 forming a continuation of the input conveyor 116 is driven from the latter by means of a chain 55 and three top-pressure bands 119 co-operating therewith are driven from the side shaft 124. Y

The conveyor 116 is so directed that the partlytrimmed books still overlapping to the same extent as before, pass therefrom on to the conveyor 120 and beneath the bands 119 with their back edges 12 leading, their heads (or tails) having previously been mutually aligned by gravitational engagement with the upturned edge of the conveyor 116.

The bands 119, whose lower runs in this case are of equal length, serve to express, at their fore-edges 13 of successive books 11,'any air which has found its way between the leaves thereof since the rst trimming operation, the books, whilst still engaged by the loaded belts 146 driven from the mainshaft 130 of the top-pressure assembly, having their heads and tails trimmed simultaneously by two rotary knives 143, 243 which have their own driving motors 144, 244 and which are canted in the same manner as the conveyors 116, 120 and the bands 119.

The vertical spacing of the top-pressure bands 119 aboveV the three-part conveyor 120 is adjustable by means similar to'those associated with the first set of bands 19, the adjustment in each case being made to suit the thickness of the individual books 11 and their degree of'mutual overlap Similarly one or other of the knives 143, 243 is axially adjustable to suit the height of page required in the finished books whose echeloned arrangement means that `each of the several knives is acting for most, if not all, yof the time upon two or more superimposed books and can thus cut at a faster rate than would be feasible if #the books were advanced edge-to-edge.

Since the three-part conveyors 2t), 120 are required to support the books 11 as close as possible to the knives .acting thereon, each of such conveyors, together with the top-pressure means 19, 46 (or 119, 146) acting thereon is necessarily adjustable for width.

A convenient device for effecting such adjustment in the case of the top-pressure means 19, 46 comprises a lead-screw 56, rotatably captive in the carrier 34 for the longest band 19 which extends parallel to the shaft 3i) and has two threaded sections 57, 58 respectively engaging tapped holes in the two slidable carriers 36.

The thread 5S engaging the shorter of these carriers has a pitch twice as that of the section 57 so that on rotation of the screw 56 by a keyl applied to its free end, the shortest band 19 (carrying with it one of the belts 46) is moved twice as far as the third band, which thus remains at all times midway between the other two.

A similar lead-screw, indicated at 59, lis provided for adjusting each set of sprockets 21 carrying the three-part conveyor 2) and as previously mentioned similar prof vision made for width adjustment of the bands 119 and conveyor 120.

The rotary knives 43, 143, 243 are hollow-ground and each is bevelled at 121/2 degrees, on the side remote from the books, to co-operate with a suitably-recessed rshroud (indicated at 60) in providing an annular jet through which air and water mist is blown under pres- ;sure for the purpose of keeping the blade edge cool whilst the cuttings pass to a suction intake below.

If desired, a band knife circulated over a suitably canted set of pulleys and having its cutting edge bevelled and shrouded as aforesaid may be substituted for any or each of the three rotary knives.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for conveying and trimming a stream of magazines, pamphlets and the like received from a printing, folding or stapling machine, said apparatus comprising in combination: a trimming station having a single continuously rotating cutter for trimming the l:front edges of the magazines; a trimming station having two continuously rotating cutters for trimming the upper and lower edges of the magazines; a rst continuously moving endless conveyor for receiving the magazines from a preceding machine and carrying them past one of said trimming stations; a second continuously moving endless conveyor disposed at right angles to, and in position to receive the magazines from, the first conveyor for carrying them past the other of said trimming stations, both of said conveyors being inclined laterally and provided with means for promoting and maintaining automatic alignment of the edges of the magazines in the longitudinal direction of each conveyor; and gripping means comprising a plurality of laterally spaced, vertically adjustable endless bands located upstream of each trimming station and moving at the same speed as, and in opposition to, the associated conveyor in pressure engagement with the magazines thereon to expel air from between the leaves of the magazines, the operative lengths of the bands in front of the station at which the front edges of the magazines are to be trimmed progressively decreasing towards that side of the conveyor on which said single cutter'is situated,

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the two` 3. Apparatus for trimming a continuous stream of magazines, pamphlets and the like, comprising, in combination: a rst conveyor upon which the magazines are received in overlapping relation from a preceding machine; a second conveyor disposed at right angles to, and in position to receive the magazines from said rst conveyor, each of said conveyors being formed in two endless sections, the first of which is of constant width and comprises transversely disposed slats carried by endless chains which circulate in laterally canted parallel 10 planes, and the second of which is adjustable in Width to suit the width or height of page size to which the magazines are to be trimmed; continuous means, formed of one upturned end of each of the slats of said first endless sections for automatically aligning the edges of the magazines deposited on said sections; first endless belt means associated with the second section of each conveyor for progressively exerting pressure on the magazines to expel air from between their leaves; a trimming station associated with the second section of each conveyor for trimming three edges of the magazines, one trimming station having a single cutter for trimming the forward edges of the magazines and the other trimming station having a pair of cutters for trimming the upper and lower edges of the magazines; means for driving said cutters independently of said conveyors; and second endless belt means associated with the second section of each conveyor for exerting top pressure on the magazines throughout each trimming op eration.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 585,998 Adams July 6, 1897 1,665,209 Huston Apr. 10, 1928 1,950,812 Plausies Mar. 13, 1934 2,173,278 Kozelka Sept. 19, 1939 2,651,899 Ackley Sept. 15, 1953 2,682,216 Shields June 29, 1954 2,838,825 Knollenberg June 17, 1958 2,850,090 Biel Sept. 2, 1958 2,850,148 Rasmulsson Sept. 2, 1958 3,008,364 Stobb Nov. 14, 1961 3,033,067 Thumin May 8, 1962 FOREIGN PATENTS 187,503 Germany July 19, 1907 359,511 Great Britain Oct. 16, 1931 

1. APPARATUS FOR CONVEYING AND TRIMMING A STREAM OF MAGAZINES, PAMPHLETS AND THE LIKE RECEIVED FROM A PRINTING, FOLDING OR STAPLING MACHINE, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: A TRIMMING STATION HAVING A SINGLE CONTINUOUSLY ROTATING CUTTER FOR TRIMMING THE FRONT EDGES OF THE MAGAZINES; A TRIMMING STATION HAVING TWO CONTINUOUSLY ROTATING CUTTERS FOR TRIMMING THE UPPER AND LOWER EDGES OF THE MAGAZINES; A FIRST CONTINUOUSLY MOVING ENDLESS CONVEYOR FOR RECEIVING THE MAGAZINES FROM A PRECEDING MACHINE AND CARRYING THEM PAST ONE OF SAID TRIMMING STATIONS; A SECOND CONTINUOUSLY MOVING ENDLESS CONVEYOR DISPOSED AT RIGHT ANGLES TO, AND IN POSITION TO RECEIVE THE MAGAZINES FROM, THE FIRST CONVEYOR FOR CARRYING THEM PAST THE OTHER OF SAID TRIMMING STATIONS, BOTH OF SAID CONVEYORS BEING INCLINED LATERALLY AND PROVIDED WITH MEANS FOR PROMOTING AND MAINTAINING AUTOMATIC ALIGNMENT OF THE EDGES OF THE MAGAZINES IN THE LONGITUDINAL DIRECTION OF EACH CONVEYOR; AND GRIPPING MEANS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF LATERALLY SPACED, VERTICALLY ADJUSTABLE ENDLESS BANDS LOCATED UPSTREAM OF EACH TRIMMING STATION AND MOVING AT THE SAME SPEED AS, AND IN OPPOSITION TO, THE ASSOCIATED CONVEYOR IN PRESSURE ENGAGEMENT WITH THE MAGAZINES THEREON TO EXPEL AIR FROM BETWEEN THE LEAVES OF THE MAGAZINES, THE OPERATIVE LENGTHS OF THE BANDS IN FRONT OF THE STATION AT WHICH THE FRONT EDGES OF THE MAGAZINES ARE TO BE TRIMMED PROGRESSIVELY DECREASING TOWARDS THAT SIDE OF THE CONVEYOR ON WHICH SAID SINGLE CUTTER IS SITUATED. 